Big crowds expected at cleanup day festivities

THE Ministry of Environment and civil society organisations (CSOs) are co-organising World Cleanup Day on September 17, with the mass cleanup aiming to increase awareness and promote public participation in tackling the global solid waste problem impacting the Earth.

Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra said on September 12 that Cambodia has celebrated World Cleanup Day every year since 2018.

“Celebrating World Cleanup Day reminds people to keep the environment clean and increases attention to protecting it. While we clean up the environment and the city on a regular basis, we are celebrating World Cleanup Day on September 17 to increase awareness and participation.

“This day reminds people to keep the environment clean, for our Earth to be unspoiled and healthy,” he said.

The NGO River-Ocean Cleanup announced that they are to gather across the country to celebrate World Cleanup Day on September 17.

There will be a gathering at 7-11am in Phnom Penh on the Chroy Changvar peninsula near Sokha Hotel.

World Cleanup Day – initiated in 2012 by Estonia-based global organisation “Let’s Do It! World” – is celebrated across 180 countries and normally held on the third Saturday of September.

Pheap Chanchealin, marketing and social media assistant at River-Ocean Cleanup, said the gathering would be attended by members of the public, government officials, CSOs, the private sector and other volunteers.

Participating in cleaning up the environment across the country together is free, she said, adding that she expected this year’s gathering to encourage people everywhere to not litter and care for the environment.

The cleanup is not intended for just one day, she stressed, but aimed at encouraging people to care for the environment all the time.

“We hope that the message for people to join this World Cleanup Day will ensure a large turnout by everybody.

“We will all take part, especially the public, students and young people, in a mass cleanup that day.

“Once we join together, we work together – whatever we can do – and get results,” Chanchealin said.

According to a UNESCO report, millions of marine animals are killed every year after having swallowed or been entangled in plastic garbage in the sea.

The report said most plastics were non-bio-degradable, with almost all the plastic that has ever been produced still present in the world.